Election 2012: The Tortoise at His Best

Newt Gingrich wins Georgia on Super Tuesday

On the biggest day of the Republican primary campaign, Newt Gingrich scored his most important victory.

The Former Speaker of the House won the Georgia primary on Super Tuesday. Georgia is Gingrich's home state, and he said in the days leading up to the election that it was a must-win for his campaign.

Gingrich won Georgia with a commanding 47 percent of the vote. Mitt Romney was second with 26 percent, followed by Rick Santorum at 20 percent and Ron Paul at 6 percent.

The victory was the first for Gingrich since winning the South Carolina primary in January. But it was the only win for Gingrich on a night when 11 states held primaries or caucuses.

At his election night party in Atlanta, Gingrich was cheered by hundreds of supporters. He took the podium an hour after the Georgia results were announced to thank them for keeping his campaign alive.

"You are the reason we survived every effort of the establishment to sideline us," Gingrich said. "If I couldn't carry my home state of Georgia, I'd have no credibility."

In his speech, Gingrich compared his campaign to those of his Republican rivals.

He described how he survived surges from Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, and Rick Perry. Those candidates are no longer in the race and Gingrich carries on.

He used an interesting analogy to set his campaign apart from those former candidates.

"There are a lot of bunny rabbits that run through," Gingrich said. "I am the tortoise. I just take one step at a time."

Despite only winning one victory on Super Tuesday, Gingrich showed no signs of dropping out of the race. Instead, he looked ahead to upcoming primaries and stressed their importance.

"Callista [Gingrich's wife] said tomorrow will bring another chapter in the race for the nomination," Gingrich said. "It's more than a chapter in the race for the nomination. It's a chapter to fight for the soul of the Republican Party. It's a chapter to fight for the very nature of America. In the morning, we're going to Alabama. We're going to Mississippi. We're going to Kansas. And that's just this week."

The Scholastic News Kids Press Corps is on the campaign trail. Kid Reporters are covering Super Tuesday from five states. Check out the Super Tuesday Special Report for their stories.